Itty Bitty Streamers

[scubohuntr 0]

I grabbed a box of #18 hooks out of a clearance bucket at a show a couple of weeks ago. I didn't have much time to examine them. Turns out they are streamer hooks, so now I have to find some way to use up 100 #18 streamer hooks. I tried tying a teeny Wooly Bugger with #0 chenille and midge hackle, but I don't think it will hook very well- too much obstruction in the hook gap. I did a red and white "mohair leech" type of thing with red floss and white Antron; it may work alright for perch if I ever get into the right spot. Should be flashy enough. I've been thinking of tying up some slim foam hopper patterns or poppers. Or long skinny nymphs, I suppose.

 

Anyone got any suggestions?

[josephcsylvia 0]

could tie some bead head soft hackle patterns.

[Dave G. 0]

About the tiny woolly buggers: try cutting rabbit fibers from a zonker strip for the tail fibers. Skip the chenille, use peacock herl ( maybe two strands for starters) and 18 size hackle , should work great. It's kind of like an extended Griffiths gnat with a tail. You can even put a bead head on it. I tie them in size 14, never tried 18 but it should work and catch fish too..

 

Speaking of rabbit, cut a zonker strip down the long way and tie up a zonker. Certainly will clear the hook gape cause the strip is on top. I'd cover the hook shank with tinsel.

 

With the soft hackle Joe mentioned, same thing, peacock herl body, couple of wraps of natural hen for a collar. They work for me.

 

EP fiber streamer ?

[mikechell 0]

Okay, I can't find the tutorial, or reference but ...

there was a great looking pattern posted, that had the hackle and post at the hook bend. The rest of the hook shaft was the pupae the fly was emerging from. The tippet was tied to the end of the tail, so the whole fly looked reversed.

And no, it wasn't some Japanese cane pole pattern.

I'll try to find the original post.

 

Found it, or one of them ...

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=81995&page=12&hl=%2Breverse+%2Bemerger&do=findComment&comment=638865

 

Item 176 ... Kimo's reverse parachute.

[Rocco 0]

The red maribou-like fluff at the stem of a hackle feather can be sparsely dubbed onto a tiny hook with a longer bit tied in as the tail for an effective midge larvae pattern.

 

Rocco

[josephcsylvia 0]

About the tiny woolly buggers: try cutting rabbit fibers from a zonker strip for the tail fibers. Skip the chenille, use peacock herl ( maybe two strands for starters) and 18 size hackle , should work great. It's kind of like an extended Griffiths gnat with a tail. You can even put a bead head on it. I tie them in size 14, never tried 18 but it should work and catch fish too..

 

Speaking of rabbit, cut a zonker strip down the long way and tie up a zonker. Certainly will clear the hook gape cause the strip is on top. I'd cover the hook shank with tinsel.

 

With the soft hackle Joe mentioned, same thing, peacock herl body, couple of wraps of natural hen for a collar. They work for me.

 

EP fiber streamer ?

I like the idea of a peacock bugger! Could you maybe put a small soft hackle collar? That would probably be an all around deadly pattern!

[Hatchet Jack 0]

scubohuntr, a photo of hooks would help us, next to a dime or nickel for scale.

Size 18 streamer hook, arrrghhh....any idea on the X-length rating?

(like 1X, 2X, 3x long, etc.)

 

Other than that, I was going to suggest the old 'Thunder Creek' pattern from ancient days.

But I'm not sure on your hook gape to shank length ratio.

[FlaFly 0]

Unfortunately different brands of hooks differ in the dimensions of the various sizes. We all have a fair idea what a size 8 long shank looks like, but there's a range of variation among brands. At this point, if you live near a fly shop or a BPS or other store with fly hooks, to go and look at them, measure the lengths and gape if you want. But if you're wanting to tie the Thunder Creek, the tail shouldn't interfere with the gape no matter which hook you use.

When you start making feather wing streamers, etc., they can interfere but most people tie them so that they are oriented above the hook shank rather than in line with it. Unless you're tying tails and wings out of stiff materials, they shouldn't be a problem. If you're planning to tie size 18 streamers, all I can say is good luck. I'd like to see how you do with the epoxy (or whatever) head on the Thunder Creek.

[Dave G. 0]

 

About the tiny woolly buggers: try cutting rabbit fibers from a zonker strip for the tail fibers. Skip the chenille, use peacock herl ( maybe two strands for starters) and 18 size hackle , should work great. It's kind of like an extended Griffiths gnat with a tail. You can even put a bead head on it. I tie them in size 14, never tried 18 but it should work and catch fish too..

 

Speaking of rabbit, cut a zonker strip down the long way and tie up a zonker. Certainly will clear the hook gape cause the strip is on top. I'd cover the hook shank with tinsel.

 

With the soft hackle Joe mentioned, same thing, peacock herl body, couple of wraps of natural hen for a collar. They work for me.

 

EP fiber streamer ?

I like the idea of a peacock bugger! Could you maybe put a small soft hackle collar? That would probably be an all around deadly pattern!

 

My favorite bugger pattern of all time has peacock herl body material on it, Joe !! I tie them big and small...........

[FIN-ITE 34 0]

If you nymph fish, they will make great stonefly nymphs, especially little black stones. Will probably make good hex and iso nymphs.

[flytire 0]

tiny wooly bugger = tailess griffiths gnat

 

GOOGLE "cracklebacks" and tie up a bunch of those

 

obviously you cant use the same materials as used on larger flies so you need to use proportionally sized materials

 

the examplies shown below uses schlappen feather fibers to replace the buck tail that would normally be used

 

tiny streamers

 

 

if you really want to tie woolly buggers on a size 18 streamer hook try tying the tail from the marabou feathers of different game birds ot the fluff from a hackle feather, tie the body with just thread, peacock herl, ostrich herl, dubbing etc

 

be creative. experiment

 

p.s. to me its quite obvious that there are no materials proportionally correct to tie a size 32 royal wulff but theyre out there!

[scubohuntr 0]

scubohuntr, a photo of hooks would help us, next to a dime or nickel for scale.

Size 18 streamer hook, arrrghhh....any idea on the X-length rating?

(like 1X, 2X, 3x long, etc.)

 

Other than that, I was going to suggest the old 'Thunder Creek' pattern from ancient days.

But I'm not sure on your hook gape to shank length ratio.

It's a VMC 9283; There's a drawing on their website http://vmcpeche.com/sites/vmcpeche.com/files/hook-range-photo/vmc_hook_range_9283.jpg. I like the Thunder Creek idea, and there have been a bunch of other good suggestions as well. Thanks everyone!

[Philly 0]

I have "The Hook Book" by Dick Stewart. Checked it out and the VMC 9283 is in it. So here's everything you ever wanted to know about a Size 18 VMC 9283.

It's a 4XL down eye round bend hook

Shank length= 8 mm

Gape= 3 mm

Weight= 13 grams

Wire diameter= .33 mm

Bend Resistance(oz)(whatever that is)= 14

 

All that said. I do have some size 18 woolly buggers in my box, mostly white have been pretty effective for trout, and panfish.

[scubohuntr 0]

I have "The Hook Book" by Dick Stewart. Checked it out and the VMC 9283 is in it. So here's everything you ever wanted to know about a Size 18 VMC 9283.

It's a 4XL down eye round bend hook

Shank length= 8 mm

Gape= 3 mm

Weight= 13 grams

Wire diameter= .33 mm

Bend Resistance(oz)(whatever that is)= 14

 

All that said. I do have some size 18 woolly buggers in my box, mostly white have been pretty effective for trout, and panfish.

Wow, and I thought I had some obscure reference books (lol). They seem a little bendy, but I'll see what I can do with them.

[fishinguy 0]

13 grams for a size 18 hook!? Tungsten/plutonium alloy no doubt. .13g most likely?